BURMA: S LETTER DELIVERED; GOS DISAPPOINTED BY UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 002011 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM BM SN SUBJECT: BURMA: S LETTER DELIVERED; GOS DISAPPOINTED BY UN CHIEF EXPULSION REF: A. STATE 152336 ¶B. RANGOON 1084 Classified By: E/P Chief Ike Reed. Reasons 1.4(b)(d) ¶1. (SBU) E/P Chief delivered the Secretary's letter to Foreign Minister Yeo (Ref A) to MFA Southeast Asia Directorate Deputy Director Pong Kok Tian November 5. Pong noted that FM Yeo is currently in Jakarta, that Thursday, November 8, is a local holiday, and that FM Yeo plans to travel to New Delhi to discuss Burma, possibly as early as November 10 or 11. He suggested that Friday, November 9, might be the best time to reach FM Yeo in his office. UNDP Coordinator Expulsion -------------- ¶2. (C) Pong told us that Singapore was disappointed by Burma's decision to expel UNDP Resident Coordinator Petrie (Ref B). He noted that MFA had issued a statement (see para 4 below) to signal to the regime that this was not helpful and that Singapore was watching. Pong thought the regime's move was unrelated to UN Special Advisor Gambari's November 3-7 visit to Burma, but rather reflected the regime's anger over Petrie's statements linking political unrest to its economic mismanagement. Supporting Gambari -------------- ¶3. (C) Pong said that FM Yeo's recent visits to Beijing and Tokyo and planned visit to New Delhi were aimed at bolstering the efforts of Gambari, who has the only effective channel with the regime. Pong was optimistic that Gambari's visit would produce some progress, such as a concrete indication the regime will enter a genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and the opposition. However, he refused to be drawn on how Singapore would define success, saying it would be up to Gambari to assess whether the trip was a success or not. Pong reiterated that Burma would be discussed at the November 18-21 ASEAN-related summit meetings in Singapore, but indicated the tone of those discussions would depend on whether Gambari had been able to make progress in Burma. E/P Chief stressed that we are looking to ASEAN to maintain pressure on the regime in the run up to and after the summit meetings. MFA Statement -------------- ¶4. (U) Begin Text of MFA's November 3 statement: Commenting on the announcement by the Government of the Union of Myanmar on the Discontinuation of Assignment of the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Myanmar the MFA Spokesman said: "Singapore is deeply disappointed to learn of the Myanmar government's decision to discontinue the assignment of the UNDP Resident Coordinator Charles James Petrie in Myanmar. This announcement has come at a most inopportune time, just before the arrival of UNSG Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari. It also sends an inconsistent message about Myanmar's willingness to continue engaging the UN in improving its domestic political and socio-economic situation. Singapore urges the Myanmar government to continue keeping up its engagement with the UNDP and UNSG Good Offices, as they offer hope for Myanmar to resolve key socio-economic problems, and to work towards peaceful national reconciliation with all groups in the country." End Text of MFA Statement. Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm HERBOLD